To navigate safely using the lateral markers, you should pass between the red and green. Returning from sea, the red markers are on your right (red, right, returning) and the green are on your left.

When any boat/ship is returning to port (including an Sb-42) and they see a red buoy they need to respond by passing the buoy and keeping it on the starboard side/right side. This is because buoys come in two colors, green and red, each of which indicate what side of the buoy is the safest course to travel.

right

You must take early and substantial action to keep well clear of the other boat by altering your speed and course. You should pass at a safe distance to the port (left) or starboard (right) side of the other boat. If a safe route exists, you should always attempt to pass the boat on the starboard side.

Flares have a life span of 3 years and must be replaced before they expire. The expiry date is printed on the flare. Always read the instructions and make sure you understand the manufacturer’s directions before storing your flares on board your boat.

No, it is not illegal for a person over 18 years to possess a firework, flare or smoke bomb, but it is illegal for a person over 18 years to let off the firework, flare or smoke bomb in a public place.

Maritime distress signal Handheld flares must burn for at least 1 minute at an average luminosity of 15,000 candelas, while aerial flares must burn for at least 40 seconds with 30,000-candela average luminosity.

Pyrotechnic signaling devices (including aerial flares and hand held signals) expire 42 months after the date of manufacture in accordance with the Coast Guard requirements. Typically, this means that you must replace your flares every three boating seasons.

To dispose of expired flares contact your local county public works department, police or fire department. Alternatively check with a local boating education group. They often use old flares for educational purposes.

Some alternative options are:

1. Check with your flare supplier – they will often be prepared to take them back.
2. A local liferaft service agent should be able to help, as they dispose of flares on a regular basis.
3. Check with your local port or marina as they may have disposal arrangements.

They can go bad, they can rust or be damaged, but they don’t really expire. (Highway flares — made of the same stuff as signal flares — have no expiration date.) If the casing is cracked or deteriorated in any way, the flares are bad. But all things being equal, flares far outlive their expiration date.

So, if not maintained properly the steel pin can corrode and disintegrate. Be sure to flush the compartment out with fresh water if the flare ever gets wet with saltwater. Most experienced flare users will attest to keeping flares in waterproof containers to elongate their flare’s lives.

The chemical composition of flares is specifically designed to make them burn bright and for a long time. The chemicals used in them don’t lend themselves to causing a detonation. There is a possibility that this burning composition could burn through a weakened area in the packaging, but they aren’t going to explode.

Flares are a safe and stable item to store. The U.S. Departments of Transportation classifies flares as a flammable solid, but they are not particularly sensitive to initiation. There is no threat of mass explosion, nor is there any threat of an individual flare exploding.

o Store away from flammable materials, sources of heat, flame, and sparks. o Flares should be allowed to burn to completion. Do NOT store partially burned flares in vehicles. o Burning is the preferred method of disposal; product is considered inert after ignition.